PERSPECTIVES

NEXT STEP IN OUR EVOLUTION

I warn you before you read this section, that my thoughts may appear 'out there'. However, the more I analyze our history, the more convinced I become that we’ve arrived at the next stage of our evolutionary path. This new stage is characterized by a change of consciousness and values and a total transformation of our world-views and ethics. I realize that this is a pretty big statement and that one may consider it a bit to idealistic or futuristic but let's consider a few facts.

Deep space exploration and scientific research provides us with growing knowledge of evolution and an expanded sense of who we are, our origin and purpose. We are being pushed to view ourselves not as isolated individuals or competing nations, but  as a specie with a collective presence, common origin and probably a shared destiny. While we may not realize this, I firmly believe that we are witnessing the awakening to a new level of consciousness that is challenging older paradigms of humanity as an isolated being in a random, purposeless universe. I am going to side step the religious discussion for now. 

We are moving from an era dominated by competing nations to one that is birthing a sustainable multicultural planetary civilization. I believe that its our collective responsibility, including those of all world leaders to establish a baseline for peace, regardless of our past and our differences, whether those are based on religion, culture, ethnicity, sex or what have you. We are at the starting gate of our next step in evolution which will mean extending our civilization beyond our current planetary boundaries. I am convinced that such a transition, while marked by struggle and conflict, is occurring within the context of our emerging understanding of the journey of the universe and our own origins and purpose.

THE GREAT TURNING

The famous ecologist and systems thinker Joanna Macy has named this point in time 'The Great Turning'. Many such thinkers are suggesting that our consciousness is slowly shifting from valuing individualism and independence to embracing interdependence and kinship on a planetary scale. This will take time, but ecological sciences are showing us the interconnectedness of life systems. The enlightenment values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are being reconfigured as we speak. Life now includes the larger life of the earth, individual freedom requires responsibility to community and nature, and happiness is being defined as more than material goods.

While we may be decades away from making interstellar travel a reality, the fact is that eventually we will need to get off this planet and start colonizing other solar systems — it might actually prove to be the most important purpose in our journey forward as humanity. Think about it, we may actually be the ones tasked with colonizing and seating our solar system and beyond.  Whatever our long-term purpose may turn out to be, humanity's ongoing survival requires us to expand beyond earth - it's also in our nature as a specie to move on.

Historically, it's by venturing beyond our borders and surpassing our biological limitations that we have continually pushed our civilization forward resulting in ongoing technological, social, political, and economic progress. Even today, our limited ventures into space have brought us countless scientific benefits that are propelling our specie forward. Should our civilization ever be capable of embarking upon interstellar colonization it would represent a remarkable milestone, possibly for all life in our solar system and beyond. Presently, we appear to live in a Galaxy devoid of interstellar travelers or perhaps we are just so tiny in this vast universe that we are yet to be discovered. But perhaps not.

However, consider the implications for humanity and the history of evolution if in fact we are the first and only civilization to embark upon such a journey - perhaps the future of life in our Galaxy depends on it. But more to the point, I believe that interstellar colonization would also allow our species to expand into the cosmos and flourish. Perhaps that is humanity's 'Prime Objective.'

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING

Idealistic or not, I do believe that many global issues which currently challenge the world only stand a chance of being seriously addressed if seen as a holistic, complex set of issues that need to be resolved in the greater context of humanity.

We need our best academic brains to collectively solve our global challenges. Scientific research and social sciences must all work in an intelligent interdisciplinary manner to get a total take on the various issues and challenges our civilization is facing. I am convinced that a multi-perspective response is the only way to solve our challenges whether the issues relate to our energy crisis, poverty, social divide, healthcare and others.

Chemistry, philosophy and anthropology don't, in themselves, exist. They are our mental constructs to help sort our thinking and cerebral methodology. Academic subject areas are human inventions that enable us to organize the complexities of learning and catalogue the world's total knowledge about itself. So, as we continue to apply worldwide knowledge and research to solving serious global issues, we should be ready to lay aside our traditional silo mentality and re-integrate the application of knowledge, learning and research in addressing the challenges of our times. It's a precondition for moving forward in our next stage of evolution and consciousness as a specie.

Our Specie - How far do we have to go?

I must assume that we are not alone in this vast universe, and with that, I have come to ask myself what it is that these far away, hopefully more advanced civilizations must think when they evaluate us. As the human specie we must seem like one of the most underdeveloped, barbaric kind in the universe. 

That we, after thousands of years of evolution still cannot find the formula to peacefully coexist is truly an indicator of how little we have advanced and how underdeveloped we are. I have friends here from every part of the planet, and I know that what I will say will touch all of you, but regardless of your race (the word race in it by itself should be taken out of our dictionary), cultural background, social belief, history, color of your skin, religion or whatever classification you want to use we should be embarrassed that a large segment of those that form part of our specie still believe that power, racial divide, oppression, ethnic cleansing, violence, and spreading terror is the way. Are we really that dumb, that stupid, and that ignorant with egos so large, that we cannot find a common ground to exercise mutual respect, tolerance, appreciation and empathy, let stand communicate? Really?

This week was marked by violence all over the planet. It doesn’t matter what country you live in. We have a global epidemic or perhaps we just have not, or are simply unable to evolve. Or perhaps it will take yet another few centuries. But what will it take? So quick are we to point the finger, to blame, and some idiots, and I am sorry I know I will touch some of you, actually dear to bring in politics as the reason for how we act as a specie. Grown, educated men and women, who think in their hearts that power, divide, violence and destruction is the way to move our civilization forward should truly be jettisoned to an asylum on the moon or somewhere else in the galaxy. 

We all die. Some of us sooner than others, but we all die and we all go to the same place and therefore the question is what will we leave behind, what contribution will we make to move our civilization forward, beyond all this useless, violant destructive actions across the planet. I am truly ashamed to be called a human being this week. 

Yet, I fundamentally believe we can do better, but wow, we have a long way to go before we as humanity would even be considered developed enough to be part of something bigger, something grander in this universe. 

- Anthony DeLima